Forget Age 35—This Is When It Becomes Difficult to Conceive

Women have long been warned about their “biological clocks,” encouraged to plan their lives around their age and anatomy. While alternative methods, like egg freezing and in vitro fertilization, have given women a greater sense of autonomy over how and when they choose to procreate, a culturally accepted age limitation still looms for many. But, according to Attn:, age 35 may be too early an age to start experiencing this so-called “baby panic.” In fact, the actual age of fertility drop-off is much later than our culture would have you believe.

While it is true that fertility can gradually decline once a woman enters her 30s, it doesn’t become significantly more difficult to conceive until around age 40 and older. In fact, the commonly cited statistic that one in three women ages 35 to 39 won’t be pregnant after one year of trying is actually based on French birth records from 1670 to 1830, reports Attn:.

More accurate data from a 2013 study published in Fertility and Sterility found that “among women having sex during their fertile times, 78 per cent of 35-to-40-year-olds got pregnant within a year, compared with 84 per cent of 20-to-34-year-olds.” These statistics contradict years of socially accepted age constructs, which have fed fertility anxiety for many women and couples for decades.